Adjustable hangers



Feb.1o, 1970 RL. HART vv3,494,517

` ApJUsTABLE HANGERS Filed Sept. 13, 1968 m@ #e wig INVENTOR. ROBERT L. HART BYM--M-W f M ATTORNEYS United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 223-94 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An adjustable hanger is formed of two directly interengageable relatively transversely adjustable garment shoulder supporting sections with indexing means to assist in selecting and maintaining the two sections in various relative positions. One section is formed with two hooks, a post projecting perpendicularly from the plane of said hooks and a horizontal channel having a single downwardly inclined outwardly extending garment shoulder support. Both hooks and the post are spaced along a common line that is substantially vertical when either hook is suspended from a support. The other section comprises a horizontal beam having a single downwardly inclined garment shoulder support that extends outwardly in a direction opposite to the first support. The beam is axially shiftable within the channel of the first section. A nib projecting from the edge of the beam is adapted t engage any selected one of various indentations along the inner edge of the channel to index the axial position of the beam within the channel. Successive like hangers may be interconnected by engaging one of the hooks with the post of a hanger above it to form a vertical chain of hangers.

RELATED APPLICATION Certain features shown and described, but not claimed, per se, herein are shown, described and claimed per se in my co-pending application Ser. No. 759,556v filed Sept. 13, 1968.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention Clothes hangers with garment shoulder supports which are adjustable widthwise to accommodate garments of various sizes.

Description of the prior art Merchandising enterprises which deal in clothing have often found it desirable to have a single clothes hanger which would adjust to fit clothing of various sizes. In this field it is particularly important that the merchandise be appealingly displayed. To promote maximum sales, the garments must hang so that their shapes are not broken or distorted. Stores, therefore, have found it desirable to purchase and keep a plurality of hangers of various sizes in order to effectively display garments in all of the sizes available. This necessitates the use of storage space to adequately store and stock many sizes of hangers when they are not on the clothing racks. Once sales are made, the hanger may be intermingled and additional costs are thereby incurred in sorting the hangers.

Families, too, occasionally find it desirable to have hangers which are adjustable to accommodate the clothing of all members. Additionally, families have found need for hangers which are compact and may be easily carried in suitcases when travelling.

Hangers providing for adjustably accommodating garments of various sizes have been heretofore known. These devices, however, have a plurality of parts, two of which move with respect to a third. Hence, the prior devices 3,494,517 Patented Feb. 10, 1970 contained at least three separate parts and a mechanism for relatively positioning each moving part with respect to the stationary part. They necessarily involved considerable expense in both manufacture and assembly and are somewhat complex in nature.

. In these prior devices, the garment shoulder support- 1ng portions of the hanger move outwardly with respect to the hook portion. Thus, the only garment dimension which can be adjustably accommodated by these prior devices is the distance between the shoulder ends.

The distance between the ends of the shoulders is not the only dimension which varies with differently sized garments however, and the prior devices have not provided a simple mechanism for accommodating the neck widths which vary in accordance with garment sizes.

These prior devices are inadequate in a further respect as they are incapable of compact disassembly whereby they may be stored or transported while occupying a modicum of space.

Another disadvantage found in the hangers known heretofore is that none of these prior devices could provide a simple means whereby successive hangers could be suspended from the preceding hangers forming a vertical chain of hangers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable hanger of the character described which is so constructed that it is not subject to any of the foregoing disadvantages.

More specifically it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable hanger of the character described which is simple and rugged in construction, yet can be fabricated by mass production methods at an appreciably lower cost than the prior devices designed t0 serve the same function.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable hanger of the character described with a minimum number of separate parts.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable hanger of the character described wherein both the distance between the hanger shoulder ends and the width of the collar may be adjusted to accommodate garments of various sizes.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable hanger of the character described in which the parts thereof may be easily disassembled for storage or transport.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable hanger of the character described wherein the hanger consists of two interengaged sections and indexing means for predetermining their relative interengaged positions.

lt is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable hanger of the character described wherein a vertical chain of adjustable hangers may be supported from preceding hangers.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable hanger of the character described wherein the hanger may be supported from one of a plurality of hook means, each adapted for optimum results when suspended from supports of differing ranges of transverse sizes.

Other objects of the invention in part will be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists of the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the adjustable hanger hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

3 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of the invention:

FIG. l is an isometric view of an adjustable hanger constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged front view of said hanger;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional views through said hanger, the same being taken substantially along the lines 3 3, 4-4 and 5-5 respectively of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the adjustable hanger, the same being taken substantially along the line 6 6 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 denotes an adjustable hanger which embodies the present invention. Said hanger is composed of left and right steplike sections 12, 14 (as viewed in FIG. 2). Each section is unitarily molded of any suitable synthetic elastomeric plastic in a basically planar configuration and has a web thickness of approximately 0.05. To provide suicient rigidity, strength and structural support, an integral flange is positioned along the periphery of the right section \14 and an integral flange is positioned along a major portion of the periphery of the left section 12.

The upper portion of the left section 12 has the general outline of the top of a conventional clothes hanger with a hook 16 having an arcuate downwardly concave section 18 of a diameter which is appropriate for an ordinary hanger bar B. The arcuate section 18 of hook 16 opens to an inclined throat section 20, permitting easy entrance of said hook 16 onto a hanger bar.

A flange 22 surrounds a major portion of the periphery of the web 19 of the left section 12, and completely encloses the hook section 16. The arcuate portion of the hook 16 which bears against the hanger bar is reinforced by the flange 22 at the point of contact 22 with said bar.

Spaced above the arcuate section 18, a second arcuately shaped downwardly concave small hook section 24 is unitarily formed. The second arcuate section 24l is entirely formed within the peripheral flange portion 22 which is widened at the region of said second hook section 24 to accommodate the same. The hook section 24 is formed as an undercut in the top area 26 of the hook section 16. The removed area, forming the undercut hook begins at the forward upper corner of the hook section 16 (as viewed in FIG. 2) and then moved downwardly and inwardly to a low point 28 and thence upwardly and inwardly forming the undercut nib 30. At'the terminal point of the removed area the hook 31 is located. The hook 31 has an arcuately curved downwardly concave wall 32 of a diameter which is less than the diameter of the arcuate section 18. The centers of both said arcuate curve of said wall 32 and said arcuate section I16 lie in the same substantially vertical line when the hanger is suspended from a support.

At the lower end of the hook section 16 a support member 34 projects in a direction normal to the hanger. The support member 34 consists of a cylindrical post 36 proiecting rearwardly from the hanger (as viewed in FIG. 2) at the lower portion of hook section 16. The post 36 is 3f appropriate size to accommodate the hook section 24 of another hanger like the hanger 10. The center of said Jost 36 lies on a line A which passes through the centers )f the arcuate portions of hooks 16 and 31. A second Jost 37 also projecting rearwardly (as viewed in FIG. 2), s spaced both laterally and vertically from the post 36 md is of the same length. The second post 37 is, however, )f a smaller diameter. The two posts 36 and 37 are joined :ogether at their ends by a transverse section 40' to form a bail in order to stabilize the post 36 and provide an enlarged head for the same.

Thus, with one hanger 10 suspended from a hanger bar, successive like hangers 10 can be suspended from successive posts 36 by hooking the upper hooks 31 of each successive hanger between the posts 36 and 37 of the support member 34 of the hanger above. A vertical chain of hangers 10 may thus be suspended from a single upper hanger 10. It will be noted that the width and thickness of the nib section 30 is such that insertion of the nib 30 between posts 36 and 37 is permitted while the diameter of the arcuate portion 32 is slightly greater than that of the supporting post 36 so that the hook 31 easily engages the support post 36.

Downwardly from the hook portion 16 a horizontal channel section 38 is unitarily formed with the left section 12. The channel 38 comprises a web 40 which is a portion of the Iweb 19 and two parallel horizontal flanges 42 and 44 which are connected to the upper and lower edges of the web 40 to dene the generally U-shaped channel section 38. The centers of the flanges are oifset with respect to the web 40 (see FIG. 3). The anges 42 and 44 lare portions of peripheral change 22 which surrounds section 12 except for tihe open end 45 of channel section 38.

The central portion of the web 40 is formed Iwith a longitudinal slot 46 which serves as a track. One end 48 of the slot 46 (the left end as viewed in FIG. 2) is enlarged with a rectangular upwardly directed opening 50, while from the opposite end 52 a tab portion 54 projects.

The tab section 54 is integrally formed with the web 40 and extends perpendicularly outwardly (as viewed in FIG. 2) from the web 40, defining a horizontal guide section 55 (as seen in FIG. 4) and thence downwardly, forming tihe retaining lock portion 56. The guide section 55 acts as a shoe which runs in a slotted track of the mating section 14 in a manner to be described hereinafter.

The undersurface of the upper flange portion 42 of the channel section 38 contains a series of laterally spaced notches 57 running from adjacent the left end of channel 38 toward and past the center of said channel. These notches 57 are spaced and shaped to engage a nib on the mating section 14 so as to form indexing means in a manner to be described hereinafter.

A vertical collar section 58 extends downwardly from the left end of the channel section 38 to an elbow bend 60 from which point the web of the left section 12 runs in a diagonal direction extending downwardly at a slight angle to form a garment shoulder support 62.

The right section 14 consists of a web section 66 the periphery of which is completely surrounded by a unitarily formed reinforcing flange 23. The upper portion of the right section 16 is in the shape of a horizontal beam 68. At the beam 68 the web section 66 and the flange 23 are joined along a line offset from the center of the flange 23 (see FIGS. 3 iand 4) so that a major portion of the flange 23 projects from one face of web 66 and a minor portion of the flange 23 projects from tlhe other face.

The dimensions of the beam 68 and the channel section 38 are such that the beam 68 can be snugly slidably received in the channel section 38 through the open end 45.

An indexing nib 70 projects upwardly from the upper portion of the beam bar section 68 and projects vertically from the flange 23 to engage any one of the successive notches 57 in the flange 42.

A portion 72 of the web 66 within the horizontal beam section is formed with a longitudinal slot 74 which serves as a track for the guide section 55. One end 76 of the slot 74 is enlarged with a rectangular downwardly directed opening 78 while from the opposite end 80 ya rectangular tab section 82 projects.

Tlhe tab section 82 is integrally formed with the web 72 and extends perpendicularly inward (as viewed in FIG. 2) from the web 72 defining a horizontal guide section 83 .(as seen in FIG. 3) and thence upwardly forming the retaining lock portion 84. The guide section 83 -acts as a shoe which runs in the slotted track 46 of the mating section 12 in a manner to be described hereinafter.

The opening 78 is of such dimensions that the tab member 54 can pass therethrough and the tab member 82 is of such dimensions that it can pass through the opening S0.

A vertical collar section 85 extends downwardly from the right end of the horizontal bar 68 to an elbow bend 86 from which point the web of the hanger runs in a diagonal direction extending downwardly at a slight angle to form a garment shoulder support `88.

To assemble and use an adjustable hanger embodying the present invention, the t'wo sections 12, 14 are aligned at their respective horizontal channel section 38 and beam section 68 so that the beam section 68 will be received within the flanged walls of the channel section 38.

The beam section 68 is then laterally moved within the channel section 38 to align its rectangular tab portion 82 with the rectangular opening 50 of the channel section 38. This will simultaneously align the rectangular tab section 54 of the channel section 38 with the rectangular opening 78. The respective horizontal web sections 40, 66 are then pressed together and t|he respective retaining lock portions 55 and 83 pass through the respective openings 78, 50 to the opposite sides of the respective webs 40, 66. As the web portions 40, 66 are pressed, the lweb 66 bends slightly at its central slot 74, to a position abutting the web 40 as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4; the web 66 thus ilexes the slight distance which the web 66 is oHset from the edge of the flange 23 (approximately .015"

The two horizontal sections 38, 68 are then slid in opposite directions and as they slide, the horizontal guide sections S5, 83 of the respective tab ymembers 54 and 82 engage the respective slots 46 and 74. Additionally, the portions 56 and -84 abut the opposite faces of the web sections 40 and 72 maintaining the web 66 in its flexed position and preventing the separation of the two horizontal sections 38, 68 from their interlocked relationship.

The indexing nib 70 on the upper portion of bar section 68 engages any selected one of the lirst of the series of notches 57 in the flanges 42 as the sections 38, 68 are slid apart to index the respective horizontal members in xed positions relative to one another.

As the elastomeric plastic material of which the sections 12, 14 are made is flexible, the horizontal members can :be moved with respect to one another and the nib 70 is merely forced from one notch to the next. The flange 42 will flex somewhat, permitting the nib 70 to pass between respective notches. Additionally, the lower channel flange 44 flexes somewhat when the horizontal portions are moved with respect to each other. This latter flexing additionally facilitates the movement of the nib between the notches 56.

The horizontal sections 38 and 68 are thus movable with respect to one another to adjust the entire hanger to the size of the garments which are hung.

It may be noted that as the garment shoulder supports 62 and 88 are moved apart or together, the vertical collar sections 58 and 84 also move with respect to one another; thus, the hanger is fully adjusted to both the shoulder and neck portions of each garment hung therefrom.

To separate the hanger sections 12, 14 for storage or travelling, one need only move the hanger sections apart to the position at which the tabs 54 and 82 will be aligned with their respective openings 50 and 78. The hanger sections may then =be separated by merely pulling them apart and the tabs will pass through the respective openings.

The synthetic elastomeric materials from which the left and right sections are unitarily molded may be any one of a number of plastics having desired physical characteristics. Typical plastics suitable for such application are 15% butadiene-85% styrene copolymer, polypropylene, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride. The anges 42 and 44 of the channel section are made thick enough to sustain repeated bending or exing as the beam section is moved, yet must be elastic to return to their original dimensions after engaging the nib within a notch. Flanges 42 and 44 must be strong enough to provide suitable cantilever anchor supports for both the right and left shoulder supporting sections when a garment is carried on the assembled hanger. Similarly the web 23 surrounding the beam section must be thin enough to be somewhat flexible and allow slight bending of the beam as the lbeam is moved between its notched positions, yet it must be stiff enough to provide a stable cantilever ancho-r support for the shoulder section Iwhen a garment is carried on the assembled hanger.

The flanges 22 and 23 may be additionally widened in the upper peripheral edge region of the shoulder supports to provide a smooth broad surface upon which the garment rests as illustrated in FIG. 5.

Thus is will be seen that there is Iprovided an adjustable garment hanger which achieves the various objects of the invention and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As lvarious possible embodiments might be made of the present invention and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having -thus described the present invention, there is claimed as new and desired to be secured -by Letters Patent:

1. An adjustable clothes hanger'suitable for hanging articles of clothing comprising first and second directly mterconnected sections, each of said sections having downwardly and outwardly depending clothing supporting portions, each of said clothing supporting portions having oppositely disposed ends, adjustable means interconnectmg said clothing supporting portions adjacent the other ends thereof, said rst section having arcuately shaped hook means for suspending said hanger from a support, means for adjustably varying the distance between said oppositely disposed ends to accommodate clothing of varying sizes, said adjustable means including a horizontal channel portion within one of said sections and a horizontal beam portion formed in the other of said sections, both said horizontal portions having mating interior surfaces in juxtaposed relationship to one another, each of said horizontal portions having oppositely disposed exterior surfaces, said adjustable means further including a longitudinal slot passing between the interior and exterior surfaces of the channel portion, said channel slot havmg an enlarged opening at one end thereof, said adjustable means further including a beam tab, said beam tab extending outwardly from the interior surface of the beam portion and being fixedly unitary therewith, said beam tab projecting through the horizontal slot in said channel portion, a beam tab retaining member, said retaining member extending from said beam tab in a direction adjacent the exterior surface of said channel portion, said beam tab further including a guide member, said guide member extending between and interconnecting the retaining member and the interior surface of the beam p0rtion, said adjustable means additionally including a longitudinal slot in the horizontal beam portion said beam slot passing between the interior and exterior surfaces of the beam portion and having an enlarged opening at one end thereof, said adjustable means further including a channel tab, said channel tab extending outwardly from the interior surface of the channel portion being iixedly unitary therewith and projecting through the longitudinal slot in said ybeam portion, a channel tab retaining member, said last mentioned retaining member extending in a direction adjacent the exterior surface of the beam portion, the channel tab further including a guide member, said last mentioned guide member extending between the last mentioned retaining mem-ber and the interior surface of the channel portion, the 1beam tab retaining member being of a size larger than the width of the channel slot, the channel tab retaining member being of a size larger than the width of the beam slot, the enlarged opening of the channel slot being of a size larger than the beam ta-b retaining member, the enlarged opening of the ybeam slot being of a size larger than the channel tab retaining member, the channel slot being of a uniform width larger than the beam tab guide member, the beam tab guide member being slidably received lwithin the channel slot, the beam slot being of a uniform width larger than the channel tab guide member, the channel tab guide member being slidably received within the beam slot, the retaining members abutting the respetcive oposed exterior surfaces of the horizontal portions and maintaining the horizontal beam within the horizontal channel while at the same time permitting the horizontal portions to slide relative to one another.

2. An adjustable clothes hanger constructed in accordance with claim 1 -wherein indexing means is included, said indexing means predetermining the relative positions between the opposite ends of the first and second sections, said indexing means comprising a nib and a laterally spaced series of notches on abutting surfaces of the horizontal channel and the horizontal beam.

3. An adjustable clothes hanger constructed in accordance with claim 1 wherein the enlarged opening of the :hannel slot is at the end which is adjacent the depending :lothing supporting portion of the hanger section within which the channel is formed, the beam tab is positioned Dn the beam portion at a point distant from the clothing supporting portion of the hanger section which includes the beam, the enlarged opening of the beam slot is at the :nd which is adjacent the depending clothing supporting oortion of the hanger section within which the beam is formed, the channel tab is positioned on the channel nortion at a point distant from the clothing supporting AJortion of the hanger section which includes the channel, :he beam being slidable within the channel from a con- ;racted position wherein the tabs and the enlarged openngs are aligned to expanded positions wherein the tabs 1nd enlarged openings are disaligned, the latter positions )eing such that the distance between the opposed ends )f the depending clothing supporting portions is inrreased.

4. A two piece synthetic plastic molded substantially vJlanar adjustable clothes hanger suitable for hanging irticles of clothing, said two pieces of said hanger in- :luding downwardly and outwardly positioned clothingY iupporting portions, each of said clothing supporting portions having oppositely disposed ends, adjustable neans for interconnecting said portions adjacent the other :nds thereof, and for adjustably changing the distance )etween said oppositely disposed ends, said hanger furher including arcuate hook means connected to one of iaid clothing supporting portions, a post, said post proecting in a front-to-back direction outwardly from the )lane of one of said clothing supporting portions adjacent :aid interconnecting means, said post lying within a sub- :tantially vertical line passing through the arc center of said arcuate hook means when said hanger is suspended from a support, a second post, said second post projecting in a frontto-back direction outwardly from the plane of said one clothing supporting portion adjacent said interconnecting means, said second post being positioned above said rst post, and below said hook means, said posts being of a length longer than the thickness of the arcuate hook means, said posts being spaced from one another a distance greater than the width of the hook means, a transverse section, said transverse section interconnecting the ends of said posts forming a reinforced bail to lbear the weight of successive like hangers supported therefrom, said transverse section retaining the hook means of a like hanger suspended from said rst post and preventing the same from accidentally disengaging from said rst post, whereby a like hanger may be suspended from preceding hangers to form a vertical chain by engaging the hook means of successive hangers from the first posts of preceding hangers.

5. An adjustable take apart hanger suitable for suspending articles of clothing, said hanger consisting of only two separate sections, each of said sections being formed of one piece molded synthetic plastic construction, said sections having downwardly and outwardly oppositely disposed clothing supporting portions, said clothing supporting portions having free ends, one of said sections having arcuately shaped hook means for suspending said hanger from a support, each of said se-ctions having adjustable means for mutually engaging and disengaging the other of said sections to form a single composite hanger, said mutually engaging means being positioned adjacent the ends of each section distant from the free ends thereof, said mutually engaging means permitting the assembly and disassembly of said hanger and locking said sections in engagement while permitting said sections to be disengaged for storage, said engaging means including a slot passing through one of said sections, said slot having a uniform spacing throughout the length thereof, said slot having two ends, one of said ends being enlarged to a spacing greater than said uniform spacing, the other of said sections including a tab, said tab projecting toward the one section, said tab including a retaining member, said tab further including a guide member extending between the retaining member and said other section, the retaining member being of a size larger than the spacing of the slot and smaller than the enlarged opening of the slot, the guide member being of a dimension smaller than the spacing of the slot and being slidably receivable within the slot with the retaining member abutting the surface of the one section adjacent the slot, the retaining member passing through the enlarged opening mutually slidably interconnecting said two separate sections thereby engaging the guide member within the slot and positioning the retaining member along the slot distant from the enlarged opening whereby the retaining member serves to prevent the disengagement of the two sections.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,096,827 10/1937 Simon 223-88 2,151,964 3/1939 Gay. 2,954,150 9/1960 Pace 223-95 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner GEORGE H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner 

